Twinning Isn't Everything
by TheBlueJetpack
Summary: Lana, normally cool and cheerful, has been in a sour mood for weeks, and Luna is determined to get to the bottom of things. But the reason for her little sister's sulky attitude may not be all that it seems.


_A/N: Sorry guys, but the Casagrandes just isn't cut out for the same flame that the Louds already flare. Season 4 starts with Washed Up, enough said._

_It's been a while since I wrote for the Loud House, as my attention had been diverted to the untapped potential for the Wreck-it Ralph movie franchise for much of the summer. That was equally lots of fun to write for; you can check those stories out if you'd like. I've been yearning to write for the Loud House again, so apologies if this feels a tad bit rushed compared to my previous works. Many ideas have been building up in the back of my mind for months now and are just waiting to spill out. This story is a 2-way split story I've been itching to write, so let's see what's going on in the Loud House tonight…_

_The time stamp down there isn't wrong...this took less than a day to write (though the planning and development going on in my head took weeks). I had honestly forgotten how easy it is to write about these Loud kids. This show is just so great._

_And you know me, I love them stories that pair up characters who very rarely get screen time and interactions together._

_Also, for the first time ever, I've opened up private messaging. Feel free to shoot a line my way._

_Reviews are always welcome. Happy reading!_

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Twinning Isn't Everything

Aug 23, 2019 – Aug 24, 2019

Lana grumbled dreadfully as she marched her way up the rickety old stairs towards her room, ignoring the dull pain that rang from her arm as she bumped clumsily into the wall framing the stairwell thanks to a lack of coordination between her brain and shuffling feet. She didn't care. She was a tough little girl. She was capable of banging her head on car hoods or slamming her fist upon faulty mufflers, and barely feel a thing.

In the Loud House, there was always a big news header to bring forward to the roundtable. Last month, it was another of Lynn's victories for her soccer team. Predictable, yet worthy of rejoice and celebration, especially to Lynn herself, even if this kind of praise happened quite regularly in the family given the large number of sports that she took part in.

Recently however, something different had occurred within the family. They had reached a landmark event that had not been recorded for quite some time, nor celebrated in the house for a while now.

Lana pouted as she finally reached her bed, landing face-first on her mattress and reducing the covers to an even more disorderly tangled mess than it already was. _Stupid family_, she grumbled under her breath. _Stupid Lola, stupid teeth, stupid smile, stupid…_

Usually, Lana was a very cool girl. She remained calm and collected in moments that made so many souls panic and run away, mostly because she was either unafraid of the potential danger, and eager to get her hands dirty in any new way possible. If anything, she responded with zeal and vigor towards threats and chances for adventure. But right now, all Lana could feel were the growing pangs of anger and jealousy burning her stomach with strong splashes of toxic acid that threatened to melt her down from the inside.

As the girl sulked in her bed, Hops poked his green head out from the sock drawer and eyed his master with interest. Sensing that Lana was upset, he hopped swiftly from the smelly cavern onto her back and gently jabbed his tongue to the back of her head.

"Ribbit."

Lana lifted her tear-stinging eyes from her pillow and rolled over, letting Hops perch on her tummy. "Sorry for making a scene, buddy. I'm just so…so…PEEVED right now!"

"Ribbit."

Lana looked away glumly. "No, it's not Lola's fault this time. It's not mine either. It's no one's fault, really. But it's got to be _someone's _fault that let Lola have all the glory."

"Ribbit."

Glory for a worthy reason indeed. Lola's front teeth had finally grown in to fill the visible gap between the rest of her baby pearly-whites. And ever since then, the young self-proclaimed princess had been all smiles, clearly eager to show off her stunning new appearance. Most fitting too, since everyone seemed to notice, from her siblings and parents, to her classmates and teachers at Royal Woods Elementary, to the judges and competitors at her beauty pageants. And to top it off, no one fell short in releasing full-out praises and exclamatory compliments for her and her radiant smile. Well, with the exception of most of the other young girls running in the pageants who either already had their own complete set of teeth or were currently still lacking their front incisors. These girls chose to remain mute.

Maybe Lana was one of them. She hadn't said a word to Lola for her new possession whatsoever.

Dinner that lazy Saturday night had been one of eventful affairs, owing to the fact that it had been occupied with nonstop chatter from Lola, who seemed intent on not only showing off her new adult teeth, but also testing them out by making elaborate speech whenever her mouth was free from food ("No _real _lady talks with her mouth full," she had pointed out to Lana many, _many _times over the years. By this point, Lana had learned to ignore her rather than argue back). To add to Lana's irritation, the rest of the family was eating it up; they never seemed to tire in heaping their seals of approval upon Lola. Their father just wouldn't stop bursting out in tears of how proud he was that 'his sweet little angel' was growing up and Mom kept going on and on about how Lola's speech had improved thanks to those white additions her mouth now housed.

The siblings all offered their own pointers and various forms of flattery. Lana had remained very quiet during the whole meal, constantly stuffing her mouth with her food, which would serve as a plausible excuse to _not _say anything to her twin sister. After all, Lola would be the first to approve that she wasn't speaking to her while there was food bulging her cheeks. So, everyone benefited.

But it did nothing to suppress Lana's current mood.

Summer nights like this one allowed the setting sun to cast its brilliant light later into the evenings, coating everything in a lovely orange glow. Lana usually took these opportunities to extend her outside time and play in the dirt with Charles, or hang out in the garage cleaning Vanzilla's windshield. But not tonight. Right now, she felt like lying in bed, as far as possible from Lola's perfect-in-every-way smile. She thought she had seen Lola walking off with Lincoln somewhere outside, which suited her fine. Wherever Lola was, she wasn't here.

"Ribbit, ribbit."

Lana sighed and closed her eyes, letting her beloved pet lick away the last of her tears. "I know, Hops. I shouldn't be mad. But I just…I just can't face Lola or her smile anymore today."

A sudden knock on the door interrupted her doldrums, causing her to frown. Who on earth was that? Lola would never knock to enter her own room, and no one usually went out of their way to visit the twins. Someone probably needed the toilet unclogged. Or maybe it was Lincoln. Time and time again Lana had borrowed her brother's Ace Savvy limited edition platinum-plated action figure to use as a screwdriver; she had discovered that the toy's head of all things was the perfect driver tip for a particularly stubborn screw in Vanzilla's oiliest crevice. And each time she had completed the job, Lana had taken careful measures to clean and polish the action figure until all the oil and scuff markings had vanished before placing it back in Lincoln's specially-marked box under his bed when he wasn't present in his bedroom. So far, she had been very lucky in that he hadn't seemed to notice at all, but perhaps today was the day he had finally caught on.

Sitting up and trying hard to straighten her posture to hide her miserable state and face Lincoln's wrath, Lana called to the door. "It's open!"

She was surprised therefore when it was Luna who stepped in. She didn't really have all that much in common with her teen rocker sister. Her taste in music was found sloshing around with the gurgling sounds of water flushing down the toilet or the powerful roar of a freshly-tuned engine. They were as different as chalk and cheese. Well, she and Luna spent much of their hobby-time in the garage…there was that.

"Hey, Lans!" Luna greeted with a salute-like gesture.

"Hey, Luna. Um, did you need your stereo looked at again?"

Luna shook her head as she closed the door and walked over to sit next to Lana on the bed. Hops leaped on top of the night table. "Nah, dude. Amp's all good. I was kinda wondering how you were doing."

Lana craned her neck to look up at her. She was very tall compared to her tiny little self. "Me? I'm…I'm good. Why do you ask?"

The girl in purple lowered her body slightly, such that she was at least a bit closer to eye-level with her little sister, but not by much. "You've been sorta quiet lately, brah. Everything cool?"

Lana blinked in surprise and looked away. "I'm fine. Really, I just…don't feel like doing anything, you know?" She stared at Lola's princess bed and couldn't help but frown slightly. She glanced at Luna again and saw by her expression that she didn't believe her. Not one bit.

"This wouldn't have something to do with Lola's new pearly whites, would it dude?"

Evidence put out, and realizing there was no point in fibbing before Luna, who somehow had the power to read between the lines and figure everything out on her own, Lana wilted on the spot.

She felt her older sister's hand on her little shoulder. "Don't feel jealous, Lans. She's just really excited about her new-found keepsakes. It's like you when you get a new ratchet to add to that greasy collection of yours in the garage. You go over the moon and want to show off what it can do, right?"

Lana stuffed her chin into her hands as she scanned the floor for lumps in the carpet. "Yeah," she muttered, thinking of how she would scour the house, searching for anything that needed tightening with the newest addition to her ratchet set. The shiny new socket containing a unique set of teeth supported by an equally shiny handle gripped in her tiny fist would serve as her sword and any loose nut, bolt, or screw uncovered by the brave knight would have to surrender to some serious spinning.

"You see, dude? Lola's the same, but her way of testing out her new teeth is by singing her heart out. Sure, it gets annoying pretty quickly, but I'll bet you'll feel just as cool when you get yours."

The young mechanic looked up at her. "Have you…have you all noticed me acting this way?" she ventured, her voice feeling strained.

"Kinda," Luna admitted. "Me and the older sibs noticed you've been less of your usual chipper self, and I volunteered to find out what's put your mood in brood. Though, we pretty much guessed it already, I just wanted to know for sure."

She gently stroked Lana's back. "Don't sweat it, sis. Before long, you'll have your front teeth too. No need to feel sorry for yourself for getting them after your twin, even if you are the older one. 'Cuz everyone develops in their own time. Just remember that life is not a competition to see who can grow the fastest or who can get what first."

At first, Lana enjoyed the soothing motions she was receiving from her cool big sis. But then, as Luna's words sunk in, she suddenly frowned. Was _that _what they were thinking?

"Wait, wait, wait, what? What did you just say?"

"Huh? Oh, I said that you'll get your front teeth too, just like Lola's."

Lana stared at Luna in disbelief. "You think I'm mad…because Lola has her front teeth and I don't?"

Luna stopped stroking her sister's back. She stared down at her. "Well, yeah…that's what we all thought. Isn't that it?"

"Of course, that's not it!" exclaimed Lana, her voice rising a little, making Luna recoil with slight surprise, but more confusion if anything. "Honestly, Luna, being smart is Lisa's thing, but you've always been the one to know how we're all feeling. But _this? _You couldn't be more wrong!"

Not hurt in any way by Lana's sudden outburst, but now very curious and intent, Luna proceeded to do the best thing she knew to do when someone was on the fritz of having a meltdown. "Then what is it, Lana?" she asked kindly.

"What _is _it? What is _it? _I'll tell you what _it _is, Luna. Every morning, me and Lola eat breakfast and she talks nonstop about how pretty she looks, what a beautiful day it is, and what a great sleep she had last night. And she SMILES the whole time! And everyone, you included, tell her how great her smile is and how fifty times more beautiful she is with her teeth all present. Then we go to school and I have to put up with all our classmates and teacher telling Lola how terrific she looks and how much better she can talk now! It's like this all day, and then at dinner, I have to listen to it all over again from you guys. I am SICK of all the things I have to hear every day from everyone I know and dozens of people I _don't_ know. Complete strangers even tell Lola how great she is now that her mouth doesn't have a huge gap in the middle! It's driving me nuts! My ears are going to turn inside out if I have to hear one more time how 'great your smile looks Lola!' 'Oh, my stars, what a dashing smile you have sweetie!' 'My little girl is growing up so fast!' 'Oh, my sweetie pie, you're such a big girl now!' 'I love you so much Lola honey!' BLAH!"

Lana ended her rant by sticking out her tongue in a gag reflex before falling flat on the bed out of an uncomfortable mixture of frustration and exhaustion. All the dark thoughts and burning anger that had been building up inside her for the last couple of weeks were now out of her system and she now lay exposed to Luna and probably anyone who had heard her yelling from a mile away.

Luna stared down at Lana apologetically. Now she got it. She understood. Lana had been right: Luna got it all wrong. The disappointment in herself for misinterpreting her little sister's misery prompted her to carefully scoop Lana off the bed and onto her lap instead.

"I get it, Lana."

"No, you don't."

"You're right, I didn't…at least a minute ago. But I do now. You're not jealous of Lola's new front teeth at all."

Lana shut her eyes in annoyance. "No, of course not. I could care less about her teeth and even less about having front teeth of my own! I don't care about the gap in my mouth. I like it! I can make funny whistling noises while I work on the plumbing. I can keep my mouth clamped together and still drink milk through a straw just by opening my lips. I don't care about my appearance!"

"But you _do _care about all the attention that your twin sister has been getting from everyone," interrupted Luna.

Lana froze. "Maybe a little," she mumbled, defeated.

She felt Luna remove her signature red cap from her head. Normally she would have protested against having it even touched by anyone other than herself, but she just didn't have the strength or will power to do anything anymore.

She stiffened as she felt Luna rest her chin down upon her blonde hair. "Attention…is something we all want, dude. Trust me, I know. I love the crowds that cheer for me. I love the fans that chant my name over and over. But…they praise you one day and ignore you the next. Unless the crowds are made of dudes who really know you and love you to death." She gave Lana a little snuggle. "You're sick and tired of seeing your twin get all the praise and glory, right? And you feel jealous because of everyone feeling proud of her, right?"

Lana slowly put her hand over Luna's, seeking warmth and comfort. "Uh huh," she whimpered.

"It's totally normal, dude," Luna hummed into her ear. "All this cheering will eventually run its course and wear away. It's just in the heat of it right now, that's all."

Lana huffed. "It's been weeks since they started growing through. How's it still going on?"

Luna shrugged. "Lola makes it hard for us to forget it. Pretty soon though, she'll grow tired of talking about her teeth and talk about her usual biz."

There were a few minutes of silence that followed, during which Luna hugged Lana gently to her chest while Lana thought about what Luna had said and was trying to tell her. Truth be told, she didn't care about Lola's teeth or growing her own, and she certainly didn't blame Lola for any of her negative feelings. In fact, if she were really honest with herself, Lana was quite indifferent with Lola's new look, for it barely offered any sort of difference in her regular routine despite Lola being the first person she woke up to see in the morning and the last at night. But the sight of her twin's smile was just a reminder of how much attention it had been drawing, leaving Lana feeling left out. This raised a new question that had been hiding in the shadows of her mind, just waiting to step out into the open.

With Luna right here with her, this looked to be the right time to allow it to do so.

"Luna?"

"Ya, brah?"

"How come no one ever congratulates me for the things _I've_ done? Do I have to wait for my teeth to come in for anyone to notice me?"

Lana could feel her voice cracking. Hops landed down on her knee and rubbed his head against her tummy sympathetically. Luna twisted herself to face Lana and lifted her sister's chin, making her look her in the eye.

"Lana, let me ask you this: who's the one who keeps the hot water running on those frozen nights?"

"I am."

Who makes sure Vanzilla is always rocking her wheels in time to get us to school?"

"I am."

"Who was the one who patched up the roof when it almost gave us an indoor pool during last year's rain storm?"

Lana rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay, I get it. But…how come no one ever told me 'good job', or 'well done', or whatever?"

"We _do_. All the time. You're just not paying attention. This house is falling apart so much that you're constantly on speed dial to fix it up. And every time, we cheer and chant your name over and over. But you're so used to all that jazz that you don't even notice when we do. To you, keeping our house from falling down is your bread and butter. Your natural routine. To us, it's saving our necks from having to sleep on the streets each night. Get my drift, dude?"

Lana racked her memory banks, trying to remember. She found to her surprise that she could recall her family patting her on the back and sending their approval her way whenever she fixed a mechanical or technical problem around the house, but she had largely ignored them all. Letting their praises all but breeze over her red-capped head as she simply headed off to find the next problem that needed fixing. It seemed that Luna was onto something here.

She looked up at her sister. "Maybe you're right, Luna. I guess I haven't really noticed you guys giving me the congrats." She rested the side of her head against Luna's chest, listening to her heartbeat.

The musician smiled, keeping her grip around Lana firm and gentle. "We love everything you do for us, little dudette. We appreciate you _and_ your talents. And I guarantee that when you get your front teeth, you'll get the reception party that your twin is bathing in right now."

Lana smiled too, for she didn't care about receiving her front teeth, but she did want a little of that kind of attention Lola was currently enjoying. Though now, it was clear that she wouldn't have to wait that long for some; just doing what she liked to do best had proven to be worthy enough of compliments and applause.

She almost missed when Luna spoke again. "But even so, Lans…none of this attention really means a thing. At the end of the day, Lols is still Lols, with or without her front teeth. Hearing loud positive vibes for what you have and what you can do is pretty sweet, but it ain't what life is about. As long as you know you're doing a job well done, you don't need the world to tell you that. If you're satisfied, that's all you really need. Like I said, it ain't a competition."

The mechanic gazed idly at the bedroom door, never detaching herself from Luna's hold on her. "It's not?"

"It's def' not, littl' sis. And it's easy to forget that in this house, especially for you and your twin. It's totally easy for you to fight over everything, including trying to get the biggest encore. But as Luan might say, 'twinning isn't everything.' Feel proud for what you can do, and any praise you can get is just a bonus."

This made Lana giggle, albeit slightly. She certainly took pride in all the services she provided around the house for her family, and she never failed to feel immensely pleased with her own handywork. Perhaps her self-satisfaction was all she really needed.

She then felt a small wave of guilt wash over her. "I guess I've been a real jerk lately, haven't I?"

"What do you mean, dude?"

"You guys all gave Lols your happy thoughts about her new look…but I haven't. Not once. Every time she's asked me what I think of her teeth, I make excuses to leave the room, or something like that."

Luna stroked Lana's messy hair. "Well, it's not too late to fix that. Go offer her your support right now."

"But…but how can I do that when I don't care about her teeth?"

Luna gave an easy shrug. "Who says you have to? You may not see what so great about her front teeth, but you _can_ see how happy they make Lola. And to a sister, that's all that matters."

"Ribbit," agreed Hops.

Lana thought this over…and smiled. "Luna…thank you," she whispered, as she enveloped her older sister in a tight, loving hug. It didn't matter if she and Luna shared very little in common. They were there for each other when they needed the other the most.

"Sorry for yelling at you earlier," she muttered. She felt her eyes starting to water for her earlier brashness, but Luna was quick to gently wipe them dry.

"It's okay…it's okay, dude. We all need to let it out somehow. And tonight, I'm glad you did."

The young plumber was the first to break free. "I'm gonna find Lola right now," she declared, hopping off Luna's lap and onto the floor. "I'm gonna tell her exactly what I should have said to her the moment she told me that her teeth were starting to grow in."

"Looks like you won't have to look too hard," Luna whispered as the door opened and in stepped Lola herself, followed closely by Lincoln. Lana froze when she saw her twin standing before her, and strangely, so did she. Lana scanned Lola's face; judging by the running mascara and strangled look in her eye, it looked like she had just finished crying. Deciding to question this later, Lana walked right up to her twin, while Luna and Lincoln tried to blend quietly into the background.

"Lola, I just wanted to tell you…I don't know why you think your front teeth are so great because I think they're pointless. But they really seem to make you happy and so that's why I'm happy you got them. Front teeth or no front teeth, you're still the same Lola I want as my twin."

Lola stared at Lana with a look of utter confusion before it was replaced by one that was significantly softer. Without a word, the twins simultaneously wrapped each other up in a hug as new tears began spilling out of Lola's shut eyes. You have no idea how long she's been waiting to hear that from the family member who means the most to her.

Keeping her eyes fixed on this touching scene, Luna leaned towards her brother. "Hey, bro? Something's telling me that Lana wasn't the only one who needed a good talking to tonight. You didn't have something to do with Lols, did'ja?"

Lincoln could only smile as he too kept his gaze locked on his two younger sisters united as one once more.

But that's a story for another day.

**THE END**


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